National Network to End Domestic Violence Official Website

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October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Domestic violence thrives when we are silent; but if we take a stand and work together, we can end domestic violence. Throughout the month of October, help NNEDV to raise awareness about domestic violence and join in our efforts to end violence. Here is what you can do:

Make a donation to NNEDV in honor of the people in your life who have been impacted by domestic violence.

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Google+ to view and share our #31n31 actions for the month of October. Every day in 2014, NNEDV will be sharing facts from our #31n31 list - 31 ways that VAWA, FVPSA, and VOCA have made a difference in the lives of survivors and their families.

Wear purple -- the color of Domestic Violence Awareness Month -- during the month of October and use this as a way to tell others why ending domestic violence is important to you.

Join the network behind the Network and become a member of NNEDV! For the first time ever,we have opened our membership to individuals who support our work. When you become a member of NNEDV, you add your voice to the chorus of others speaking out against domestic violence.

Join NNEDV's book club, Reader with a Cause, on Goodreads! Many of today's most popular books raise issues that are connected to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking -- creating the perfect opportunity to discus the importance of these issues with our friends, families, and coworkers. Join us as we read and discuss equality, empowerment, and violence against women as it appears in contemporary literature.

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October 2013 was our first-ever action-oriented #31n31 - check out our calendar of the actions that you can take at any time of year to help end domestic violence. (Click to enlarge)

Technology helps victims and their children successfully flee violent batterers, stalkers and rapists. But what millions don't realize is the dangerous and potentially lethal sides of various technologies in the hands of abusers and perpetrators. NNEDV's Safety Net: Safe & Strategic Technology Project addresses how technology impacts the safety, privacy, accessibility, and civil rights of victims by:

Educating victims, their advocates and the general public on ways to use technology strategically to help find safety and escape domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence, stalking and abuse;

Training law enforcement, social services, coordinated community response teams and others how to hold perpetrators accountable for misusing technology to impersonate, harass, stalk, surveil, and threaten.

Advocating for strong local, state, national and international policies and practices that ensure the safety, privacy and civil rights of all victims and survivors.

NNEDV's Safety Net Project addresses how technology can be harnessed successfully to do effective outreach, intervention, and violence prevention work.

Since 2002, the Safety Net Project has trained more than 50,000 advocates, police, prosecutors and others. Read more

Selected News:

NNEDV's Census Project runs the U.S. National Census of Domestic Violence Services (Census). This is an annual noninvasive, unduplicated count of adults and children who seek services from U.S. domestic violence shelter programs during a single 24-hour survey period. Conducted by NNEDV, this Census takes into account the dangerous nature of domestic violence by using a survey designed to protect the confidentiality and safety of victims.

Census Methodology and Understanding the Data:

The “snapshot” methodology provides an unduplicated count because a victim is unlikely to access services at more than one domestic violence program during a 24-hour period. But does this mean that 65,321 people were victims of domestic violence on the day of the count? Or, since this count was only on one day. Can I multiply it by 365 and get an average estimate of the number of victims who sought services in a year?Read More...

NNEDV’s Economic Justice Project works to strengthen victim advocates’ financial capabilities to better assist survivors of domestic violence move from short-term safety to long-term security, and to an economically sustainable independent life. NNEDV's Economic Justice Project employs its signature “train-the-trainer” approach to deliver financial literacy lessons to victim advocates across the U.S. NNEDV's Economic Justice Project also uses its exclusive listservs and newsletter to inform victim advocates about personal finance tools, resources, and the most recent research available in the field of financial literacy and capability.

Economic Justice Technical Assistance & Online Resource Platform:

NNEDV’s Economic Justice Project delivers financial literacy and economic justice resources and information to its members and the general public via NNEDV's website, exclusive listservs, webinars, presentations and one-one-one technical assistance. The Economic Justice Project also compiles and organizes relevant research on a wide-range of financial literacy topics; and engages in a variety of outreach activities to help give survivors a voice with financial education stakeholders at the national level. This project is greatly enhanced through the ongoing commitment of dedicated partners that support projects to end domestic violence, and to empower survivors with the financial education and economic tools and resources they need to achieve financial independence.

NNEDV's Economic Justice Partnership with The Allstate Foundation:

In partnership with The Allstate Foundation and the U.S. state and territorial coalitions against domestic violence, NNEDV’s Economic Justice Project delivers financial literacy information with tools like theMoving Ahead Through Financial Management curriculum, webinars, and grants that support economic justice and empowerment programs for survivors of abuse.

Since 2005 NNEDV’s Economic Justice Project has coordinated and provided technical assistance for the following Allstate Foundation grant programs:

The Moving Ahead Through Financial Management Curriculum Grant Program provides curriculum materials and funding support to state coalitions that work with local programs to train advocates in their state. To date, more than 600 domestic violence victim advocates have been trained to teach survivors financial skills, and thousands of survivors are using this resource nationwide.

The Moving Ahead Economic Empowerment Grant Program has awarded over $2.3 million to state-wide coalitions against domestic violence to help survivors become economically independent from their abusers and to research domestic violence and economic abuse to support new services. Grant focus areas include matched savings programs, financial education, micro-enterprise and job readiness programs.

Recent News:

WomensLaw is NNEDV’s newest project, joining NNEDV in 2010 after many years of partnering on issues related to technology safety and confidentiality. WomensLaw was founded in February 2000 by a group of lawyers, teachers, advocates and web designers interested in using the power of the Internet to educate survivors of domestic violence about their legal rights and ways to get help. The mission of WomensLaw is to provide easy-to-understand legal information and resources to women living with or escaping domestic violence or sexual assault. By reaching out through the Internet, WomensLaw.org empowers women and girls to lead independent lives, free from abuse. Today, the WomensLaw.org website gets more than 1 million unique visitors each year.

WomensLaw has two components: the WomensLaw.org website and the Email Hotline.

WomensLaw.org Website: The website provides over 7,500 pages of legal information written specifically for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, especially for those who are going to be representing themselves pro se in court. The information, revised in accordance with annual legislative changes, is state-specific and written in plain language so that people can comprehend it without the help of a lawyer. We also have federal legal information regarding immigration remedies for victims, DV in the military and information on federal gun laws. The website also provides thousands of pages of non-legal information about different forms of domestic abuse, tips for working with lawyers and preparing for court, listings for telephone hotlines, legal and non-legal resources for every state programs, courthouse contact information, and much more. More than half of the website has been translated into Spanish and new information is added and updated daily.

Email Legal Hotline: The Email Hotline is a safe, accessible service through which victims, friends, family and advocates can request personalized and anonymous support. Hotline advocates respond to each email, in English or Spanish, tailoring responses to answer each person’s specific needs. The Hotline also supports advocates at local programs by answering their questions with timely, reliable and relevant legal information, helping them support the victims with whom they are working.

For more information or to access these resources, please visit WomensLaw.org.

Recent Project News:

Welcome to NNEDV's Action Center!

NNEDV asks advocates and allies to contact Congress at key times to influence legislation and funding for domestic violence programs. NNEDV will ask you to make phone calls, send an email or take action on social media sites. Taking a few minutes to contact your elected officials can mean a world of difference to a survivor of domestic violence.

Please sign up to receive NNEDV's action alerts and check this page for current action items. Even if there is not a current action item, you can contact your Senators and Representatives at any time to tell them how important the federal response to domestic violence is in your community.

Tell them about the services that victims need and how the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) and the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) make a difference in the lives of victims.

NNEDV's Domestic Violence Counts: National Census of Domestic Violence Services (Census) is an annual noninvasive, unduplicated count of adults and children who seek services from U.S. domestic violence shelter programs during a single 24-hour survey period. Conducted annually by NNEDV since 2006, this Census takes into account the dangerous nature of domestic violence by using a survey designed to protect the confidentiality and safety of victims.

In our work to end violence, NNEDV provides trainings and resources about domestic violence for communities, advocates and victims including tips, statistics, answers to frequently asked questions, and other public awareness resources about issues impacting victims and their children.

Frequently Asked Questions About Domestic Violence [PDF file]What is domestic violence? What resources are available for victims? Why do some victims return to or stay with abusers? Do abusers show any potential warning signs? Is it possible for abusers to change? Are men victims of domestic violence? What can I do to help?

Welcome to NNEDV's Economic Justice multimedia resources! This is a one-stop shop providing a wide-range of tools and resources that can help guide you no matter what your current life situation is. Whether it is information on emergency safety planning, taking charge of your debt, improving your credit score, learning about asset-building opportunities, or getting tips on creating a savings or retirement plan, the information you need to get started is right here.

Recently Added:

This toolkit is meant to provide transitional housing providers with easy access to information and resources to enhance services to survivors. The information provided here addresses frequently asked questions, common challenges, best practices, templates for adaptation, and resources for additional information and assistance.

Please select a category to access the resources for that topic. Contact Us for additional assistance.

This toolkit aims to provide domestic violence and HIV/AIDS service providers with information and resources to enhance services for persons exposed to HIV/AIDS and domestic violence. The information provided here addresses frequently asked questions, common challenges, best practices, templates for adaptation, and resources for additional information and assistance. Several resources support building collaborative partnerships and cross training efforts between the domestic violence and HIV/AIDS fields. Strong, collaborative relationships are important for ensuring quality services for domestic violence survivors who may be at risk for or living with HIV/AIDS.

Please select a category to access the resources for that section. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
for additional assistance.

Notes on Toolkit Resource Language Use:

- Intimate Partner Violence: or IPV, is another term used for Domestic Violence, often used in the medical field, and describes a relationship in which an act or pattern of acts is used by a person to gain or maintain control, harm, threaten, intimidate, harass, coerce, control, isolate, restrain, or monitor another person in an current or former intimate relationship or a social relationship. - Survivor/Victim: these terms are used interchangeably to refer to a person who is currently or was formerly in an abusive relationship as a way to recognize the unique challenges an individual faces while still in a relationship as well as their experience in fleeing and healing from an abusive relationship.- Gendered pronoun use: Because domestic violence is not a strictly heteronormative trend, meaning that all genders can perpetuate and become victim to domestic violence, we have made a conscious effort to use gender-neutral pronouns in many of our materials. However, in recognition that 85% of victims of domestic violence are female, there are some instances where gendered pronouns are used.